News
Stay up to date with all the latest from the Hope English School Team
Imagine if you were only able to travel to places within walking distance. Would that limit what you could do with your life? A recent discussion in the Hope English School office made us all realise that if we couldn’t use our cars, or take the bus, or even hop on our bikes, our lives would look very different and what we were able to do would be hugely affected.
Although most of our classes are small group, community classes, did you know that we also run some online evening classes for Ukrainian refugees? These classes allow the students to fit in their language learning around their work. We wanted to share some lovely feedback we received from one of the teachers of this class:
"M came to England 18 months ago from war-torn Ukraine. At the time of her arrival she spoke no English at all. She started to learn English in the UK, worked hard and progressed so well that now she has been offered a teaching assistant position to teach phonics at a local school."
We have also recently started a one-to-one online class for a gentleman who has access needs and is unable to travel to one of our community classes. We find it particularly rewarding to be able to help those who have previously been unable to access ESOL prevision due to the barriers they face.
One of our students, Yana, a refugee who has set up home in Doncaster after being forced to flee the war in Ukraine, has turned her terror into a positive after unveiling a display of traditional handmade dolls at a local museum. Yana joined our classes one year ago and once her English language skills had improved, she was able to advertise her dolls which has resulted in several exhibitions in England. She now dreams of writing a book about Ukrainian national crafts.
Yana says:
"After the invasion, I couldn’t make dolls, everything fell out of my hands, there were no ideas after the war started.... It was the doll that breathed life into me, and I gave all the emotions of the war to it."
Huge congratulations to Yana - what an inspiring story!
You can read more about Yana's story here.
Do you know your choux from your filo? Are you a whizz with a whisk? Or do you just really love eating cake? Whatever your reason, grab your apron and wooden spoon and bake for HOPE!
During Refugee week, we're encouraging our supporters to organise a fundraising cake sale in aid of our work. This is a great opportunity for those who live too far away to come to our events to raise money and spread the word about us.
Sign up on our website or by emailing lucy@hopeenglishschool.org
Booking for the Sheffield 10K is now open and we're inviting you to be part of Team HOPE and take part in this iconic Sheffield event. Let us know you are planning to run for us and we'll provide you with a FREE T-shirt to run in as well as regular support while you train.
You are invited to attend our Family Fun Day on Saturday 22nd June - expect a morning full of food, fun, games and activities. More details to follow but for now make sure to pop the date in your diary so you don't miss out on the fun!
Huge thanks to everyone who came along to our Pick-Me-Up Pub Quiz in February - we raised an amazing £640 for our work and were delighted that two of those who attended signed up to become regular givers.
If you would like to support us over the next year, why not sign up to become a regular giver? Pledge to give to our work and receive a FREE copy of our book 'Recipes of Hope' as a thank you gift from us. Learn more here.
Rhiannon came to Sheffield to study languages and made the city her home. She has a background in translation and was a volunteer supporting ESOL learners for several years, before completing her CELTA qualification. She’s excited to join the Hope English School team, meet new learners and see their progress.
Welcome to the team Rhiannon, we're delighted to have you with us!
We have also welcomed several new classroom volunteers, who provide invaluable support to our teachers and students - welcome to Elliot, Vanessa, Charlotte and Pete.
We can't believe we are at the end of another year at Hope English School, and what a busy one it has been! Babies, baking, teaching, running, grant writing (and that's just the last term!), we've had a pretty packed year and are looking forward to a relatively quieter few weeks over the summer holidays - we hope you are too.
Over the last term it has been great to start working alongside some new organisations we have not previously worked with. We have started a new online ESOL class for Rotherham council and a Digital Skills course at Sheffield City Church.
The Rotherham Council class was started specifically to support five women who, for various reasons such as disability and childcare, are unable to access traditional in-person classes. We have provided each student with a laptop so they can attend the class online, with the intention to transition to face-to-face classroom teaching when the students feel more confident. One of the things which makes Hope English School different is our ability to provide a bespoke service, to provide just what our students need at the time, and to have the flexibility to change this as and when required.
We are delighted to have received some grant funding, and as a result are able to carry on running our class at the bridging hotel in Sheffield over the summer holidays, providing consistency and ongoing support to those that live there.
Huge thanks to all our teachers and administrative staff who have worked really hard this year to deliver teaching to 150 students - well done!
We are pleased to announce that due to the money raised from our most recent fundraiser 'Baking for Hope' we are able to keep this class running over the summer holidays.
This relaxed, mixed ability class is open to all asylum seekers and refugees - regardless of age, gender or asylum status.
If you would like to find out more or know someone who would benefit from attending, please visit our website for more information.
We are delighted to have been awarded a grant from the National Lottery Community fund to develop and pilot a new Digital Skills course! Up until this point the course has required the learner to have a reasonable level of English in order to attend.
This grant will allow us to develop a brand new course aimed specifically at learners whose English is at a low level and would not be able to access the current courses we offer.
The resources are being created over the summer and the pilot will start in September in partnership with our friends at the Snowdrop Project.
We are looking for more people to join our team and run the Sheffield 10k with us on September 24th - the more the merrier!
Whether you are a seasoned runner (like Jane!) or an absolute novice (like Lucy!) we'd love you to run and raise money for us!
Visit our website to sign up and receive your FREE Hope English School T-shirt to run in!
THANK YOU to everyone who got involved in our Baking for Hope fundraising appeal - we raised an amazing £640!
We are using the money to keep our Open ESOL class running over the summer - so huge thanks to everyone who baked or bought!
Support our lifechanging work and get a free book!!
We are looking for NEW regular givers to support us over the next academic year! Regular giving is the best way to help us in planning the support we can offer. Pledge to give to our work and receive a FREE copy of 'Recipes of Hope' as a thank you gift from us. Learn more here.
Thank you
Enjoy a weekend unleashing your wild side in the Welsh Wilderness! Get ready to take part in the ultimate digital detox as you live off the grid and put your skills and nerve to the test…
Take part for just a £50 entry fee (includes all activities!) and a £250 fundraising target!
Beware, this is NOT for the faint-hearted. Are you up to the challenge?
We are now registered with easyfundraising, which means you can help us for FREE. Over 7,000 brands can donate to us when you use easyfundraising to shop with them – at no extra cost to yourself!
All you need to do is sign up and remember to use easyfundraising whenever you shop online. It’s easy and completely FREE!
To sign up and/or register us as your cause visit https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/.../hope-english-school/
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Thank you
Welcome to Meera our newest volunteer!
Meera has a background in teaching with over a decade's experience of the education sector both in the UK and abroad. Whilst working in various educational institutions, she has seen first-hand how supporting individuals to gain essential skills to be able to live and work in a new environment has a far-reaching impact on their families and the wider communities.
We are delighted that Meera will be working within the fundraising team and using her expertise to help us continue our work.
We also bid a fond farewell to teachers Fran and Jonathon who are leaving us over the summer. We wish them both the very best for the future and are grateful for their hard work over the last year.
Huge congratulations to Anna (and husband Jon) as they welcomed beautiful Sebastian into their family. We are sending lots of love to you all as you get to grips with becoming parents and enjoy getting to know your little man!
